Retail Radar: Wii Fit membership dues detailed?

Closing out Nintendo's E3 Media and Business Summit press conference, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime unveiled the latest Nintendo creation, designed with Shigeru Miyamoto's wife explicitly in mind. Titled Wii Fit, the aerobics simulator uses a specially designed accessory known as a Balance Board to assess players' physical conditions and then create an interactive work-out program suitable to their needs.

Today, the ever-vigilant retail radar detected a Wii-sized blip that may indicate membership fees for Nintendo's upcoming fitness club. A listing on GameStop's online site claims Wii Fit will sell for $69.99 and ship January 1, 2008 (the latter likely being a placeholder date). As the listing weighs in at a full $20 higher than a Wii game's typical bill of fare, it seems likely that the Balance Board peripheral will come packed in. Nintendo was unavailable for comment as of press time.

Wii Fit is Nintendo's latest attempt at invading living rooms and breaking down the walls separating gamers and nongamers. It features four exercise types: aerobics, muscle conditioning, yoga, and balance activities. Exercises from each of these categories play out as series of quirky minigames where players must complete a challenge within a given amount of time. The game will also feature various stretching exercises.

Please note, while retailer listings frequently jump the gun on publishers' product announcements, they should not be taken as final confirmation of a game's existence; nor should the absence of a listing be considered as proof that a game isn't coming to a given platform.